Special events will celebrate master Ghanaian drummer Alfred Ladzekpo who is retiring from CalArts after 41 years (Click here for video).

Circumnavigate the globe in a week at the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) World Music and Dance Festival. This year, The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts’ annual festival offers six concerts, free of charge, featuring music from Africa, India, Indonesia, Brazil and Iran.

One of the first schools in the country to offer World Music for performance, CalArts has a history of nurturing traditional and new forms of music from a variety of cultures. Such renowned world artists as Persian percussionist Houman Pourmehdi, India’s Aashish Khan and Swapan Chaudhuri and Indonesia’s Nyoman Wenten and Nanik Wenten teach at CalArts, and will perform at the festival.

The series kicks off on Friday, April 29 with CalArts African Music and Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Beatrice Lawluvi and Andrew Grueschow, and culminates on Sunday, May 8th with a concert of the CalArts World Percussion Ensemble. This final concert of the festival is part of The Wild Beast Concert Series at CalArts presented by Levitt Pavilions. This special evening celebrates the retirement of Alfred Ladzekpo, a founding faculty member of CalArts’ World Music Program and features guest artist and Brazilian pandeiro maestro Guello.African Music & Dance ConcertFriday, April 29, 2011 - 7:00 pmThe CalArts African Music and Dance Ensemble, under the direction of Beatrice Lawluvi and Andrew Grueschow, will perform traditional repertoire from the Ewe and Dagomba people of Ghana and Benin, West Africa and create a lively evening of drumming, singing, and dancing.

North Indian Classical MusicSaturday, April 30, 2011 - 7:00 pmThis concert of North Indian Classical Music features performances by the CalArts Tabla Ensemble, the CalArts Student Indian Ensemble under the direction of Aashish Khan, and a special performance by CalArts World Music faculty members Swapan Chaudhuri on tabla, and Aashish Khan on sarode.

Balinese Music & DanceSunday, May 1, 2011 - 7:00 pmA Night in Bali features gamelan Gong Kebyar, Bali’s modern bronze gamelan orchestra of about 30 musicians. This modern orchestra has absorbed repertoire and techniques from many of the older ritually oriented gamelan orchestras. CalArts Gamelan Burat Wangi (Fragrant Offering) will be accompanied by traditional dance as well as new choreographed dances. The performance is directed by Nyoman Wenten with special guest and Musical Director I Made Lasmawan and Nanik Wenten, Dance Director.

FeFe: Don’t say it doesn’t concern you, it mayFriday, May 6, 2011 - 7:00 pmAlfred Ladzekpo will present his 14th play, FeFe: Don’t say it doesn’t concern you, it may, about a community embroiled in conflict. This is Alfred Ladzekpo’s retirement concert and will close the curtain on his 41 years of work at CalArts. The concert will include music and dance by the CalArts African Storytellers and Dance Ensemble.

Javanese Music & DanceSaturday, May 7, 2011 - 7:00 pmA Night in Central Java offers a journey into the Javanese performing arts, presenting classical as well as newly created dance and gamelan music with CalArts’ beautiful Javanese gamelan Kyai Doro Dasih (The Honorable Dream Come True). The performance is directed by Djoko Walujo and Dance Director Nanik Wenten, and features special guest dancer/choreographer Bhagawan Ciptoning.

Levitt Pavilions presents The Wild Beast Concert Series at CalArts: CalArts World Percussion EnsembleSunday, May 8, 2011 - 7:00 pmWorldwide Percussion offers exhilarating pan-global drumming from the CalArts World Percussion Ensemble, an experimental performance group combining instruments and music from a spectrum of cultures. The evening will feature guest artist and Brazilian pandeiro maestro Guello. Ghanaian Sogo drummer Alfred Ladzekpo will join an all star line-up of musicians including members of CalArts’ World Music faculty: Indian tabla master Swapan Chaudhuri, Indonesia’s I Nyoman Wenten, master Persian percussionist Houman Pourmehdi, and multi-cultural percussionists Randy Gloss and Andrew Grueschow.

What:California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) World Music and Dance Festival 2011

Where:California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2340Click here for directionsAll concerts will be held at The Wild Beast music pavilion